California governor agrees to debate GOP rival

The one-hour debate _ first reported by KQED News on Monday _ is scheduled for Sept. 4 in Sacramento. Brown previously said he was unsure whether he would debate Kashkari.

Brown is far ahead of Kashkari in pre-election polls and had significantly more money in his campaign account last month.

Dan Newman, a spokesman for the Brown campaign, told KQED News (http://bit.ly/1tgTcMr ) Brown will not participate in any additional debates. Kashkari had called for Brown to debate him 10 times, and a campaign spokeswoman said they are still hopeful for more debates.

“We are glad the governor has accepted this debate invitation and we sincerely hope it will be the first of many opportunities for Neel and Governor Brown to speak directly to Californians about their plans for our state,” said campaign spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner. “After all, Governor Brown has previously been an advocate for more debating.”

Kashkari, 41, is considered a longshot against the 76-year-old Brown, who has raised more than $22 million in his bid for an unprecedented fourth term after first serving from 1975 to 1983. Kashkari, a millionaire former U.S. Treasury official who gave his campaign more than $2 million, started the fall campaign with less than $200,000 in his campaign account after spending $4.4 million on his primary race to defeat a tea party candidate, his campaign reported late last month.

KQED said it is producing the September debate along with the Los Angeles Times, the California Channel and Telemundo California.